


Dragon of the Vesperpool

by nychus



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-23 12:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14332560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nychus/pseuds/nychus
Summary: Ignis, a dragon used to living among humans, goes in search for a wild dragon. He is not prepared for what he finds.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ohmyfae](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohmyfae/gifts).



The people of Eos would say that dragons didn’t exist. Depending on who you talked to, some would say they never did and others would say they were extinct.

Ignis knew better, though, considering he was a dragon. Dragons had long learned to hide in human form. It was safer to live among those who had actively sought out their magic than to try to hide from them in the wilds. Somehow, the humans always found those that never left the wilds.

Dragons had the ability to tell each other apart from other humans and so when they would meet, it was almost inevitable that they would become fast friends or lovers. Dragon mothers would hide in the wilds to lay and care for their single egg while dragon fathers kept watch and collected food.

At hatching, the baby dragon would learn all it needed to know about being a dragon for the first year of life. Flying, fire breathing, how to manage its hoard, among other things. After the first year, dragon magic was strong enough to transform. Parents would teach their child how to turn human and all the new lessons began. By the time baby dragons returned to the human would with their parents, they were physically and mentally the age of a human ten-year-old.

His parents told him that there were still a few dragons that were left in the wilds. Ones that had somehow managed to keep away from human hunters. Ignis grew curious of these dragons and began to seek them out. It wasn’t difficult, as Ignis’s hoard was knowledge and human technology made it easy to keep tons of information in the palm of his hand. His father used to joke that they got the weird kid, but in truth he couldn’t be prouder. While other dragonlings were trying to find ways to hide their collections of weapons or jewelry or even toys, Ignis could just download his to a small device and keep going.

Using the all the information he could get about strange sightings or missing objects, Ignis started his journey to find a wild dragon. His search eventually led him to the Vesperpool, where hunters muttered about local cats going missing and fishermen kept needing to replace lures. Ignis knew that dragons hoardd a wide variety of objects, so perhaps these accounts would lead him to a dragon.

He searched through the muck and mosquitos for several days, looking for any sign that a dragon may be in the area. He talked with fishermen, asking them where they were when they lost their lures, but there was no pattern there. It didn’t matter where they fished, lures kept getting taken. The map that Ignis asked the fishermen to mark on had a point at every possible spot around the lake; effectively making a solid outline.  
Frustrated, but still determined, Ignis continued searching. He remembered his first home being a cave, so perhaps the wild dragon would have a cave nearby. That would mean heading towards the cliffs near the Myrlwood.

As Ignis picked his way through the swamp, idly wondering why he was doing this, a flash of fur caught his eye. Had he not been a dragon he would have missed it. Instead, he now had a trail to follow. A trail that was clearly well used by small animals and probably invisible to anyone else who might come into the area, human and beast alike. Ignis could hear the sound of small feet ahead of him and before long he could hear purring and mewling of cats. He had found his quarry.

All sound in the swamp stopped when Ignis stepped through a bunch of branches and found himself in a clearing. A clearing that had dozens of cats staring at him with their judging eyes. As he stepped forward, those nearest him started growling and each successive cat he got near joined in. None of them attacked as Ignis headed towards the cave that was on the other side of the clearing; he figured they knew he was a dragon but he didn’t doubt they’d attack if their master asked them too.

The cave itself was dark and Ignis had to stand for some time to allow his eyes to adjust. The entrance held nothing but more cats. It was when he took a turn into cave, away from the outside light, that the lures started. Hundreds, he thought, until the path curved a bit. No, thousands, was his next guess. Then, the path took him to a large chamber where millions of lures hung from the walls. It was clear the lures were well cared for and carefully placed. Each lure gleamed in the low light coming for torches at the far end of the chamber. Each lure was also placed with similar lures. It was amazing to behold.

And in the center of it all was the blackest dragon Ignis had ever seen.

The dragon was sleeping, or it was until Ignis stepped fully into chamber and a brilliant blue eye snapped open. Ignis stopped. He couldn’t pull his gaze from that eye, completely lost in its beauty. He kept eye contact as the dragon lifted his head to better look at the invader.

Without warning, the dragon shifted into a human form: skin pale as the moon, hair black as the night, and those eyes…those eyes that Ignis never wanted to close.

He was also completely naked, but as Ignis was more concerned with the eyes, he didn’t care.

The dragon walked over to Ignis without saying a word, stopping mere inches away. For a moment, the dragon looked Ignis over, as if he were some dog on show. The dragon poked and prodded Ignis’s arms and legs, he ran his hand through Ignis’s hair, and finally he held Ignis’s face in his hands and the two stared at each other.

When the other dragon eventually let go, Ignis almost moaned at the loss of contact. When the dragon grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the torches in the back, Ignis wanted to get their fingers to intertwine, but the grasp made it impossible. Once at the other end, the dragon pushed Ignis into a chair before taking one for himself.

They stared at each for a long while. Ignis was absolutely confused at the power this dragon had over him and he wasn’t quite sure he liked the knowing smile on the dragon’s face either.

Eventually, the dragon spoke. “Hi.”

That simple word broke whatever spell Ignis had been under. “Hello.”

“I’ve never met a city dragon before,” the dragon said. “I’ve only ever known wild ones.”

“I can’t imagine you’ve known very many dragons then,” Ignis said. To his surprise, the dragon laughed.

“Dad told me that the city dragons don’t think we exist anymore,” he said. “But there’s hundreds of us.”

That couldn’t be right, Ignis thought. Surely that many wild dragons didn’t still exist. Where would they all hide?

The dragon seemed to read his mind. “There are plenty of places in the wild to live. Many share homes or are neighbors. The place known as Taelpar Crag is home to a few dozen. You aren’t the first to find my home, you know” he said. “But you are the first the cats didn’t tear apart. They can tell you’re a dragon, even in your human form. They don’t trust you, but they were willing to let me meet you.”

“I don’t recall any reports of people going missing or being torn apart by cats,” Ignis said, pulling out his phone and flipping through everything he had gathered.

“Who would want to admit a bunch of cats ripped into them?” the dragon grinned. “They probably blamed it on of the lizards or birds.”

There were quite a few reports of people saying they’d been attacked by basilisks or sahagin, but that wouldn’t be odd for anyone careless enough to walk into their territory. Still, it would be a more believable excuse than cats.

“So, what do you hoard? Will it interfere with my lures?”

“Knowledge,” Ignis said absently still looking for reports of cat attacks, before his eyes shot up to meet the dragon’s. “What do you mean will they interfere?”

“Because you’re not leaving,” the dragon said so matter-of-factly that Ignis was stunned. “And if your hoard required wall space, we’d have a problem.”

Though he wanted to, Ignis found he couldn’t refute the statement. The moment his eyes met the dragon’s eyes, he knew he was trapped. But it wasn’t a malicious feeling. It was something more like finding his whole. As if Ignis didn’t realize he had been missing something his entire life and now here it was, watching him intently.

After a moment, Ignis held up his phone. “I keep everything in here,” he said. “But without power or access to the internet, it will be useless.” What would he do without his precious information?

“We’ll work it out. Dad will come up with something,” the dragon said before he slipped from his chair and straddled Ignis. “I’m Noctis.”

“Ignis,” he answered, swallowing hard. He’d never had a naked man straddle him before and he wasn’t quite sure what to do. Especially now that said naked man was beginning to unbutton his shirt.

“Well, Ignis, why don’t we relieve you of these clothes and get to know each other better, hmm?”

All Ignis could respond with a quiet nod and a helping hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A random comment about Noctis hoarding lures and cats and then claiming Ignis as part of his hoard by ohmyfae on the IgNoct Discord got this going. I don't think Ignis was intended to be a dragon as well, but the idea of him hoarding knowledge stuck in my head and I wanted to go with it.
> 
> So, here's this silly thing! Noctis doesn't actually hoard the cats, they just like him and help him get lures.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis learns about the wild dragons.

Ignis quickly learned that anything he thought he knew about wild dragons was wrong. He had always been taught that wild dragons were primitive and feral. That they protected their territories fiercely and killed any human that came near. Wild ones were always thought to be slow and ignorant, hardly able to string two words together in a cohesive sentence. Reading and writing were out of the question.

Noctis proved to be none of these things. He was well spoken and enjoyed expertly flipping through Ignis’s phone (while the battery lived) and reading through things. Sure, there was a lot he didn’t know, but he asked questions and was keen to learn.

Despite his original comment about the cats being vicious guards, they really weren’t. Some hissing and growling and any human that might stumble upon his home would turn tail and run. Noctis wouldn’t allow the cats to really hurt anyone. He had a special rapport with the cats, so much so that Ignis wondered if he had a second hoard.

“They were my mother’s hoard,” Noctis told him one day as he was checking their food. “None of her original hoard still live, but several generations exist and Dad will bring some new ones occasionally. They don’t always stay, either. Cat hierarchy is something I still haven’t figured out, but some days I’m told someone has left to make it on their own.”

“You can speak with the cats?” Ignis asked.

“Kinda? Mom was better and she taught me some things before she returned to Bahamut. I can have basic conversations with them, but there is a lot I do not know.”

It wasn’t surprising to know that the wild dragons paid homage to Bahamut, the draconian astral. Most scholars had suspected as much. But while the city dragons also recognized the other astrals as being important in their own right, the wild ones didn’t seem to care for them. Noctis said they had their own agendas that made them wary.

For all the city folk wanted you to think the wild dragons believed in anarchy, Noctis said they did have a ruling family. The Lucis Caelums. A dragon family that went back for 1000s of years, working hard to keep the peace among the dragons. City dragons lost all knowledge of the family, which apparently suited just fine. Kept things simpler, since city dragons did outnumber the wild ones.

Nudity was something to get used to and Ignis took some time to embrace it. There was practicality in it as transforming from human to dragon forms would destroy clothes and it could be a hassle have to quickly strip. So long as Noctis remained in his cave and clearing, he stayed naked while in human form. He insisted Ignis do the same. Noctis was gentle with Ignis’s clothing once he had stripped him of it, folding it all neatly and putting it in the chest where he kept his own set of clothes. There were times when he would need to venture into the human world and so clothing was a must.

Wild dragons were a nocturnal bunch. They could hide themselves in the dark night as they flew in the skies. Along with nudity, Ignis needed some time to get used to the idea of being able to transform freely into his natural dragon state. He hadn’t been able to do that since he was a child, where his dragon form was still small enough to run about his parents’ apartment. Special trips away from humans had to be made to glimpse even the tiniest bit of freedom Noctis showed here.

There was a lot of freedom in the fact that he didn’t have to stay confined as a human, able to take to the sky whenever he pleased once the sun set. The first few nights he spent with Noctis was done so chasing each other through the balmy night air, scaring sleeping chickatrices and annoying the sahagins. Ignis hadn’t felt so alive since before he went to the human world for the first time.

Days were spent sleeping, two dragons curled into one another in the center of the cave as any light breeze would send the lures tinkling and jingling. Blackest black and brightest red intertwined so tightly it was hard to tell where one started and the other ended. Nights were spent looking after the cats, checking for any new lures they might have collected, and other general domestic chores. Unless asleep, they remained as humans in the cave. It was easier to fit two humans than two dragons and basic chores were better suited to smaller hands.

Ignis spent a lot of time writing everything he learned from Noctis. At the moment, it was the best he could do for his hoard. Funnily, though, he found he didn’t mind it so much. He assumed that he would lose himself should he not have instant access to all the knowledge he had amassed over the years, but somehow Noctis made it all okay.

Sometimes Ignis would follow Noctis to a preferred fishing spot. He could sit and write while Noctis made use of his hoard. Bringing in a catch was the only time Noctis and the cats would fight. Both would want it, but unless there was a particularly quick cat, Noctis was the victor.

It was during these times that Ignis would find himself sketching Noctis, deep in concentration or arguing with a cat. He would have never believed anyone if they said that his notebook would soon be filled with sketches that had no intellectual basis.

After a month of living in the wilds, Ignis wondered how he had ever lived in the city. How had his parents? He knew city dragons went wild for a couple of years when giving birth; it seemed odd that they could leave this all behind. Perhaps it was a completely different experience. He’d have to ask his parents. Ignis was aware he would need to go home soon. He needed to talk with his parents, gather some things, and he hoped introduced Noctis to his home. He hadn’t yet broached the subject, but he hoped that Noctis would come with him to at least meet his parents before they both returned here.

Assuming Noctis wanted him to stay. Part of him feared this was just all too good to be true; that this was just a honeymoon phase (could he call it that, despite not actually doing anything that constituted as a physical relationship? Other than the first day when the naked man straddled him and each morning when the curled into each other, there was nothing) that would soon peter out? He was afraid to ask and afraid to leave.

One stormy evening, Ignis got somewhat of an answer to his questions. As the thunder rolled and lightning flashed, Ignis and Noctis sat inside. Noctis was adding some new lures to his wall while Ignis wrote in his notebook.

They were interrupted by an older (and very naked) man, soaked to the bone, and carrying a basket that was mewling.

“Dad!” Noctis cried as the man shook out his hair. Noctis dropped from his ladder to grab a blanket so that he could wrap it around his wet father.

“Thank you, Noctis,” the man said, handing over the basket. “Terrible weather.”

“You didn’t have to come tonight,” Noctis said, opening the lid only to have three kittens jump out immediately.

“You know what my schedule is like, if it wasn’t tonight, then it might have been another month.”

Ignis slowly made his way over to Noctis and his father. He couldn’t help but smile fondly as the young man cooed over the kittens. His father, Ignis noted, had a similar look.

“I swear your mother is somehow doing this on purpose, sending stays to the house. I’d be angry if you weren’t so fond of them.”

Noctis laughed, “Yeah, right, you’d keep them even if I wasn’t.”

The man had no response, but he did notice Ignis, finally. “Ah, you must be the reason my son has a sudden interest in the internet. Regis Lucis Caelum, at your service.”

Regis held out a hand which Ignis shook, “Ignis Scientia.” A second later, something clicked. “Lucis Caelum?” he asked, looking over at Noctis who was very pointedly not looking at him.

Regis chuckled, “Somehow I am not surprised that Noctis neglected to inform you of is title. He never has taken well to being a prince.” Ignis just blinked, confused. “Scientia, though. An old and respected name. Your family moved into the cities a couple of centuries ago. Good to know the line continues. We tried to keep tabs on the city dragons, but after a while their numbers were too great and it became impossible.”

“I bet Ignis could do it,” Noctis said, causing the other man to blush. “He hoards knowledge. He could probably come up with a database pretty quick. You know, if we had the internet.”

At this point, Ignis realized he was being exceedingly rude by not offering Regis a seat and a warm cup of tea. Both were graciously accepted. Ignis sat at the table with Regis while Noctis stayed on the floor to continue playing with the kittens.

“You do realize it will be difficult to get reliable electricity out here and nearly impossible to get the internet,” Regis said.

“Yeah, I know, but…”

“And it’s not like you are inconspicuous as it is,” Ignis pointed out. “Your cats and lure collection haven’t gone unnoticed by the locals and adding anything like a tower would make it all the easier to find you.”

Noctis scowled, “Who’s side are you on?”

“He has a point,” Regis said, earning Ignis another glare. “I can speak with Sylva about what she did with Tenebrae, but I imagine your best chance will be to move closer to a human hub.”

Sylva of Tenebrae, Ignis thought as Regis and Noctis continued to speak. Sylva Nox Fleuret was the current head of the ruling family of the city dragons. It shouldn’t surprise him that she would be aware of the wild dragon ruling family, but somehow it did. He quite enjoyed learning all of this new information.

“You should come to Tenebrae with me. It’s been ages since you’ve seen Ravus and Lunafreya,” Regis said.

If it was possible for Noctis’s scowl to deepen, it did. “Ugh, leave out Ravus. He thinks he knows everything and is a pompous ass because of it.”

“Noctis,” both Ignis and Regis admonished at the same time.

Noctis glanced between the two of them before his eyes landed on Ignis. “What do you care? You don’t know him.”

“I was raised to respect the Nox Fleurets which includes the next in line for the throne,” Ignis answered.

“So was he,” Regis said. “Ravus can come off as a bit overbearing, but he is a good man and will make a great king. You could learn a thing or two from him.”

Noctis pulled a face, “I’ll take my lessons from Luna, thank you. You know, someone that people actually like.”

“Ah, so you are saying it’s time we started discussing a marriage between our families?”

“What?”

“No!”

Ignis and Noctis answered at the same time, confused and angry respectively. For Ignis, he wondered if Noctis had always been aware of pending nuptials. If he did, why keep Ignis around? But the reaction that Noctis had made him think this was new. Noctis’s anger was palpable. He stood unexpectantly (surprising the kitten on his lap) and glared at his father.

His father who was…laughing? Now Ignis was more confused.

“Calm yourself, Noctis,” Regis laughed. “I jest. Even I am aware that Ravus would do everything within his power to keep that from happening.”

“You are evil,” Noctis said, collapsing onto Ignis’s lap. He was still tense, Ignis could feel it in his muscles.

“You must indulge your old man, you moved so far away, and I have to take every chance I get. Besides, I can see plain as day your hearts are intertwined. It would be a disservice to you both to attempt to break it.”

The younger men looked at each other, shy smiles crossing their lips. It was good to know that Ignis’s feelings of completeness was real. He realized the shyness and fear that he felt was probably also felt by Noctis. These feelings were new to both of them and neither were quite sure how process them or express them.

The knowing look on Regis’s face said that he knew his words had helped them.

The king stayed for dinner, talking mostly with Ignis while Noctis listened from the floor with the kittens. Regis promised he would speak with Sylva but questioned what Ignis would do if no solution could be found for the internet. Books were one option; Ignis would be lying if he hadn’t ever fantasized about having an enormous library. A true hoard to show off. But books would take up precious wall space and likely wouldn’t survive long in a cave situated next to a swamp.

Another option would be to make trips to Meldacio. The outpost wasn’t terribly far away and Ignis could make a weekly trip to download everything he needed and work through it until the next trip. Regis said a generator would be easy enough to obtain, so keeping phones and tablets charged shouldn’t be a problem.

They also discussed the possibility of Ignis coming up with a database of all the dragon families in the cities. Sylva would love to know which of the old families still lived and those families may have history they would like to share. Or perhaps they would like to know the histories they might have forgotten. Ignis was excited at the prospect. Something to work on. Something that would be meaningful. As they spoke, he began writing down all the dragon families he knew of.

At one point, Noctis gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like “nerd.”

At the end of the night, Regis took his leave. As the younger men watched him disappear into the stormy sky, Noctis wrapped his arm around Ignis’s waist.

“He likes you,” he said quietly. “Do…do you think your parents will like me?”

“Without a doubt,” Ignis replied, smiling.

Noctis returned the smile, leaning into Ignis’s body and looking back towards the sky. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it! I doubt I'll add more. After the first bit, I just felt like it needed something a bit more. So here it is. Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> A random comment about Noctis hoarding lures and cats and then claiming Ignis as part of his hoard by ohmyfae on the IgNoct Discord got this going. I don't think Ignis was intended to be a dragon as well, but the idea of him hoarding knowledge stuck in my head and I wanted to go with it.
> 
> So, here's this silly thing! Noctis doesn't actually hoard the cats, they just like him and help him get lures.


End file.
